Colour sequential display devices exploit the eye's response time by presenting different primary colours in rapid succession at a given pixel to give the perception of a single display colour represented by the different primaries for the given pixel. This is in contrast to e.g. colour display devices with different coloured sub-pixels for each pixel where a perception of a single display colour for the given pixel is provided by simultaneous presentation of the different primaries by the respective sub-pixels of the pixel.
A known problem with colour sequential display devices is that of colour breakup. If the speed of eye movement during the colour sequence is sufficiently high compared to the frame rate at which the different colours in the sequence are being presented then the eye movement causes sufficient separation of the different primary colours on the retina for the viewer to perceive breakup of colour in the image, i.e. the different primary colours separate out in the perceived image. The problem of colour breakup is particularly marked in display applications where rapid eye movement is to be expected, for example in the case of head-up displays.
Various approaches to compensating for or reducing colour breakup have been disclosed. Many involve shifting the colour information to compensate for eye movement, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,498.